Process of making knitting-machine needles.



No. 802,141. PATBNTEI) 0m. 17, 1905.

A. B. DODGE & A. OURRIER. PROCESS OF MAKING KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLES.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 27.1903.

mcnzw a cnmw cc. Pmw-umocumws msumumu, n. c.

NITEI) STATES AVERY B. DODGE AND ARTHUR OURRIER, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMP- PATENT OFFIGE.

SHIRE, ASSIGNORS TO DODGE NEEDLE COMPANY, OF MANCHESTER,

NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1905.'

Application filed October 27, 1903. Serial No. 178,720.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, AVERY B. DODGE and ARTHUR OURRIER, citizens of the United States, and residents of Manchester, in the county of Hillsboro and State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Processes of Making Knitting-Machine Needles, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like figures on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to that class of knitting-machine needles which have a laterallyprojecting heel against which the cam mechanism of the knitting-machine acts and a thickened shank over which'said cam mechanism passes during the operation of the knitting-machine, and especially to that class of needles in which the thickened shank is made by bending the end of the wire or stock of which the needle is made back on itself. In the manufacture of these needles this operation of doubling the wire or stock back on itself to make the thickened shank of the needle is generally done before the needles are hardened or tempered, and it frequently happens that during the hardening or tempering process the bent-over portion of the shank is liable to spring away from and assume a position out of parallelism with the main portion of the shank of the needles. If this occurs, the friction between the cam mechanism and the shank of the needle is very liable to cause the needle to clog in the machine and possibly to become broken or bent out of shape.

It is the object of our invention to provide a novel method by which the end of the bentover portion of theshank will be positively interlocked with some portion of the stock or body of the needle during the process of manufacture, thus producing a needle in which said bent-over portion is positively held in its proper position and cannot be bent out of position either during the process of tempering or other steps of manufacture or during use in the knitting-machine.

The particular features of the invention will be more fully hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a knitting-machine needle of this class as heretofore made. Fig. 2 is a view of the shank of our improved needle, showing a preliminary step in the improved process. Fig. 3 is a plan view in Fig. 2.

of the right-hand end portion of stock shown Fig. 4 illustrates one form of our improved needle made according to our improved process. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate different steps of our improved process. Fig. 7 shows one way of tapering, thinning, or reducing the end of the stock from which the shank is made. Fig. 8 shows the shank of the form of a needle made according to our process when the end of the stock is given the shape shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 shows another way of shaping the end of the stock, and Fig. 10 illustrates the shank of a needle embodying our invention when the stock is given the shape shown in Fig. 9. p

The knitting-machine needle shown in Fig. 1 is a familiar type of needle and is formed with the heel 3. against which the cams of the knitting-machine act, and with the thickened shank, said thickened shank being formed by bending the end portion 4 of the stock from which the needle is made back on itself, the end 6 of the bent-over portion coming adjacent to the heel 3. Usually needles of this class are made from round wire stock, which is at some suitable time in the process of manufacturing the needle bent intermediate its ends to form the heel 3 and also bent to form the thickened shank. At some subsequent time in the operation the needle is placed between dies and subjected to transverse pres sure, thereby to flatten the sides thereof. In order to Work freely and correctly in the knitting-machine, it is essential that the opposite edges of the shank of the needle be substantially parallel and that the bent-over portion 4 lie closely against the main portion 5 of the shank. If during the process of tempering or hardening the needle said bent-over portion 4 should spring away from the main portion 5 of the shank, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, or if it should be bent into this position during the operation of the knitting-machine the needle would bind in the machine and would fail to work properly, and if the friction between the shank and cam mechanism were suflicient the needle would be likely to become broken. To avoid these difficulties, we have invented a novel process of manufacturing a needle by which the end 6 of the bent-over portion 4 of the shank may be interlocked with some portion of the body of the needle during the process of manufacture,

whereby in the finished needle said bent-over portion 4 is positively held in its proper position both during the tempering or hardening process and during the use of the needle in the knitting-machine.

Our improved process is as follows: At some point in the preliminary steps of forming the needle, and preferably prior to the step of flattening the round wire stock of which the needle is made, we reduce or thin the end of the stock from which the shank is made and subsequently bend such end over upon the main portion of the shank in such a way as to bring the thinned or reduced end adjacent to some portion of the needle-body, and thereafter flatten the sides of the needle between suitable dies. Owing to the relative positions of the thinned or reduced end of the stock from which the shank is made and the portion of the needle against which it abuts, such flattening of the needle-body either crowds the material thereof over said thinned or pointed end or causes the latter to become is caused to be embedded in the material of the heel, and thus positively interlocked therewith.

The end 6 of the stock forming the shank may be thinned or reduced in a variety of ways without departing from our invention.

Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 show the preferred way of practicing our invention, according to which the end 6 of the portion 7 of the stock from which the shank of the needle is formed is thinned or reduced by forming therein the V-shaped or reentrant notch 8, as best seen in Fig. 3, such notch being formed either at the time the stock is cut from the wire or subsequently thereto, and thereafter the end 4 of the stock is bent over upon the main portion 5 thereof, as usual, the two ears or points 9, formed by the V-shaped notch, being brought against and caused to partially embrace the material of the heel, as shown best in Fig. 5. Subsequently the sides of the needles are flattened between suitable dies, as usual, and during such operation the material in the heel is forced toward and farther into the notch 8, and at the same time the pressure applied to the ears 9 embeds them into the body of the heel, thus positively interlocking the end 6 of the bent-over portion 4 with the heel of the needle, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. This positive connection between the end 6 and the heel prevents the bent-over portion 4 of the shank from being sprung laterally by any friction between it and the cam mechanism of the knitting-machine and also prevents said bent-over portion from springing away from the main portion 5 of the shank.

The preferred way of practicing our invention is that illustrated in Figs. 2 to 6, because in a needle made in this way the end 6 of the bent-over portion 4 is very firmly interlocked with the heel of the needle. Other ways, though perhaps not so satisfactory in all respects, of practicing the invention may be adopted, if desired, and in Figs. 7 to 10 we have shown two such ways.

In Figs. 7 and 8 we have shown how the end 6 of the stock may be thinned or reduced by scarfing it off or cutting it on an incline, as at 10. In this form of our invention, when the handle is flattened after the end 4 has been bent over to bring the pointed end 6 adjacent the heel of the needle, such flattening of the needle forces the material of the heel over the pointed end 6 and causes the latter to become embedded in the heel, as shown in Fig. 8. with the result that said end 6 is positively interlocked with the heel.

In Figs. 9 and 10 the end 6 is reduced by making it wedge-shaped in any suitable way, and when the needle is flattened after the end 4 has been bent over upon the portion 5 such flattening forces the material of the heel 3 againstand over the pointed end 6 and causes the latter to become embedded in said heel, and thereby positively locked thereto.

In all of the forms of our invention herein shown the extremity of the stock from which the shank of the needle is made is thinned or reduced by it either in one line or two lines at an angle to its length; but the invention is not limited to thinning or reducing the extremity by cutting the stock on anincline. In all cases, too, it will be noted that the stock from which the shank is made is bent so as to bring the thinned or reduced end adjacent some portion of the needle which is non-parallel with the shank. In the forms of the invention herein shown such portion of the needle is the heel, which extends substantially at right angles to the shank.

The essential steps of our process are, first, reducing, tapering, pointing, or thinning the end 6 of the stock from which the shank of the needle is made, and after said end has been bent over and brought adjacent the heel or some other portion of the needle proper subjecting the needle to transverse pressure and by this operation causing the pointed, thinned, or reduced end to become embedded in the heel or body of the needle, thereby positively interlocking these two parts.

While we have illustrated three different ways in which our invention can be carried out, we do not wish to be limited to any one or to all of these ways.

We believe that we are the first to construct a knitting-machine needle in which the end of the stock bent over for increasing or thickening the shank is during the flattening of the needle mechanically interlocked with or embedded in the portion of the stock of the needle, and we intend to claim broadly this method of making a knitting-machine needle.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The process of making a knitting-machine needle which consists in reducing or thinning the extremity of the portion of the stock from which the shank portion of the needleis made, bending said portion of the stock at an angle to some portion of the needle-body thereby to bring the thinned or reduced extremity adjacent to said portion of the needle-body, and subsequently subjecting the needle to transverse pressure, thereby thinning the extremity and embedding it in the body of the needle.

2. The process of making a knitting-machine needle which consists in reducing or thinning the extremity of the portion of the stock from which the shank of the needle is formed, doubling said portion of the stock upon itself thereby to bring the thinned or reduced ex- 7 tremity adjacent the projecting heel of the needle, and subsequently flattening the needle by pressure and thereby mechanically interlocking said thinned or reduced end with the heel of the needle.

8. The process of making a knitting-machine needle which consists in making a rentrant cut in the end of the stock from which the shank portion of the needle is made, bending said stock on itself to bring the end of the stock having the reentrant cut therein adjacent some portion of the needle which stands at an angle to said end of the stock, whereby said portion of the needle is partially received in said cut, and subsequently subjecting the needle to transverse pressure, and thereby interlocking the cut end of the stock with said portion of the needle.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AVERY B. DODGE. ARTHUR CURRIER.

l/Vitnesses:

JOHN H. R1012, B. M. SANFORD. 

